So what do people think is cool in Star Wars these days?

Anything Star Wars is fair game.

To start (and I doubt anyone here hasn't seen these already):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEjO5aJWps 1313 Gamescom Trailer

The legendary Troops and I.M.P.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUbmYfAF2i4 Imperial Military Personal Stories: The Relentless - Chapter 1: Davenport Gateway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvubKf3BK04 I.M.P.S The Relentless - Chapter 2: Norca System

The Dark Times comic series starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Dark_Times

Gotta agree with both Dark Times (tied with Legacy as my favourite series) and 1313 (so looking forward to this).

I've actually been catching up on the Clone Wars animated series (yeah, I know…), as I still hadn't finished season 2, and there were a few surprisingly good (and suitable for Edge of the Empire inspiration!) episodes. One or two focussed on bounty hunters, and even one that focussed on the underworld of Coruscant that I swear had bits from the 1313 trailer in it! Sure it's kind of childish and there are lots of Jedi peppered around, but the above bits were good for a more gritty/non-Jedi focussed game.

Also been reading the Empire series of comics and although that focuses more on what is probably suitable for book 2 of the FFG series (Rebellion vs Empire), it's set during the right period - right around the destruction of the first Death Star.

Finally, there are a lot of old WEG books that focus on smugglers and the outer rim that I've been browsing for inspiration. Tramp Freighters, the Platts guides, Guide to Mos Eisley, etc.

I'm a fan of the Star Wars: Legacy comic series. Combines elements of the Rebellion era with the Old Republic.

West End Games set the tone for most of the Star Wars gaming I did then and since. Tramp Freighters changed gaming for my group.

John Ostrander is creating so many good comics in Star Wars that are set outside canon settings but match the vibe of SWEOTE and stay true to the feel of the movies. Star Wars: Legacy (as mentioned above), Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, and many more in the Dark Horse line of Star Wars comics.

I have always liked the N64 Star Wars Episode I: Racer for the background information on all the planets visited in the racing circuit. The Fringe is highlighted throughout this game.

Clone Wars is an amazing cartoon. The setup of those episodes mirror a narrative game style so well that I will be stealing plots and plot structures liberally for SWEOTE sessions.

Saga Edition is a great resource as well, though Unknown Regions has been a constant resource for sic-fi gaming in general. There is much goodness in that book.

The Order 66 podcast has inspired many an idea for Saga Edition play and I look forward to hearing GM Chris' SWEOTE podcast.

blittlepage said:

As one of the authors involved with Unknown Regions, I'm tickled pink to find that something I got to contribute to is proving so useful outside of it's proposed scope

Take a bow, that book is fine work.

What parts did you work on?

blittlepage said:

Most of the new player-character species (Squibs!), majority of the equipment, a couple of the planet entries and their corresponding mini-adventures.

So none of the really cool or flashy stuff like the Hazards or Exploration Campaigns chapters, the later of which was done by Daniel Wallace if memory serves.

Apparently I was also held responsible for the plethora of JumpMaster 5000 images found on the covers and within the book despite having no connection to the artists involved

Seriously, that ship shows up about a dozen times throughout the book.

mouthymerc said:

I'll second this. It's like a combination of chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, and bacon all deep-fried and covered with liberal amounts of powdered sugar.

You've got Jedi Knights, Jedi-in-Hiding, a galaxy-spanning Empire ruled by an evil tyrant, Sith Lords, a feisty Princess, Bounty Hunters, a small yet dedicated Alliance, da works.

It's a very fun era to play in, and as a GM you pretty much have a wide-open box of toys to choose from.